Contact PD/PI: MOELLER, FREDERICK Gerard The Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) promotes clinical and translational research (CTR), moving research advances from basic science into clinical practice, and improving the quality and efficiency of clinical research. Over the last 5 years the CCTR has become a critical component of VCU?s clinical and translational research environment. The value placed on the CCTR?s role in advancing clinical research is evidenced by over $43,000,000 of institutional support, including a recent $16 million gift to rename the CCTR the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. In addition, the CCTR serves as the only CTSA funded hub in Virginia, fostering statewide and national collaborations in clinical and translational research in areas of human subjects protection and recruitment, community engagement, team science, informatics, and scientific review. The overall CCTR strategic goal is to catalyze CTR through programs and processes that enhance quality and efficiency, integrate research and clinical practice, and provide training to develop the CTR workforce. This goal will be achieved in collaboration with the CTSA Network and implemented at VCU and our partner institutions locally, regionally, and nationally, as described in detail related to each overall aim below. An important theme across cores is innovation in methods for processing, analysis, mining, integrating, and sharing of large data sets. Overall Aim 1: Promote translational research workforce development with experience based training in informatics, team science, biostatistics, research design, and regulatory science, sharing and collaborating with the CTSA Network in best educational practices to develop the next generation of CTR scientists. Overall Aim 2: Mobilize existing strengths in community engagement and team science to engage stakeholder communities at every translational phase to become research partners and form collaborative clinical translational science teams. Overall Aim 3: Integrate all phases of CTR across the lifespan and in special populations by increasing hub and network research capacity and connecting with relevant providers, patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders to guide research, care, and recruitment. Overall Aim 4: Advance clinical and translational research methods and processes to speed translation, build collaborations, and optimize resources within VCU and with the CTSA Network. Overall Aim 5: Implement informatics systems to integrate multiple types of data to gain insight into diseases and mechanisms, to enhance training, to collect metrics to improve performance and gauge impact, and to bridge research to clinical practice across the CCTR and the CTSA Network. Project Summary/Abstract Page 227 Contact PD/PI: MOELLER, FREDERICK Gerard As described in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on the CTSA program, although there has been an exponential increase in biomedical research in the United States in the last 50 years, translating the findings from basic and clinical research to clinical practice has fallen short. For the next 5 years of funding, the CCTR proposes to capitalize on strengths in a special patient population, community engagement, workforce development, and informatics, to expand connections with the CTSA network to promote innovation in methods, processes, and training, focused on the delivery of high quality clinical and translational research. In addition, utilizing biomedical informatics tools, the CCTR will promote a greater integration of healthcare and research within VCU and across statewide and national partners.